Consequences. Whether we like it or not, every action we take will have some sort of consequence. Sometimes there are good consequences. We study hard, pay attention and do our work, and we get good grades in school and ultimately we can get a good job. Practice hard and we learn a sport or musical instrument. However, when we do wrong, there are bad consequences. We might not see them right away. We may cover our wrongdoing up and think we’ve gotten away with it, but eventually there are the consequences. Sometimes they are quite severe. Our Scripture today tells of a grave sin, a cover-up thinking they got away with it, and then the judgment, the consequences. Let’s take a look.
Before we look at our Scripture verses, we need to get the background of what had happened, which we find earlier in chapter 11. There was a war going on between Israel and the nation of Ammon, and King David was supposed to be at the battle, leading his troops. However he wasn’t there. He left that to his generals, and was taking it easy at his palace in Jerusalem. David was peeping at his beautiful neighbor while she took a bath. Since he was the king, he had her brought to his palace. Bathsheba was married to Uriah, one of the king’s top soldiers, but David didn’t want to think about that, and proceeded to have an affair with her. Then when they found out she was pregnant, David tried to cover it up by having Uriah recalled from the battlefield, hoping that he could pass the child off as his. Uriah was too honorable, though, to spend the night with his wife while his fellow soldiers were on the battlefield, so then David arranged to have Uriah killed in battle (II Samuel 11:1-25). The king then proceeded to take Bathsheba as another of his wives.
Now, about a year later, our Scripture begins. The baby has been born, and David continues to act as if nothing was wrong. He doesn’t seem concerned that he has committed adultery, gotten a woman pregnant, and then had her husband murdered. This, the godly man David, who had walked so close with the Lord for so long, who wrote so many of the psalms! What is wrong with him? How did he get to this terrible spot? Isn’t his conscience bothering him? If it is, he isn’t showing it. So God sends one of His prophets, Nathan, to confront the king.
Nathan must have been a brave man, and one who is strongly obedient to God. Confronting a king about his sins is dangerous, but Nathan obeys God. He uses wisdom, and does it by telling a parable (vs. 1-6). When David gets righteously angry at the situation in the story, Nathan turns around, pointing his finger at the king, and declares he is that man! Nathan was not going to let David forget or brush aside his sins.
The prophet proceeded to tell of God’s judgment for his sins (vs 10-12). Violence would plague his family, and his wives taken by other men, which was later fulfilled during his son Absalom’s rebellion (II Samuel 16:22). Thankfully, David’s heart became tender again, and he repented (vs. 13). Unlike so many who make excuses for their sins, David humbly acknowledged his guilt. Though God forgave David, the child born from his sin dies, demonstrating that sin has consequences, even when forgiven.
Sin is a direct offense against God. It begins with temptation, and leads to greater wickedness, resulting in judgment. We see here both the justice and mercy of God. He will not overlook sin, and sin does have consequences, however if we confess and turn from our sin, God will have mercy.
Today, confronting sin in others, including in fellow believers, is not popular. Christians love to say that we should never judge others, however, sometimes that is exactly what we need to do. Nathan saw that the longer David’s sin was left unconfronted, the more damage was being done, not only to David himself, but also to the faith. The Apostle Paul urged the early church to confront sin in their midst (Galatians 6:1). We are to confront fellow Christians about their sin, not to tear them down, but to restore them to fellowship.
If God reveals sin in our lives, His ultimate purpose is not to condemn us, but to restore us, and to help us reconcile with those we’ve hurt. Repentance clears the way for renewed closeness with God through the power of His forgiveness and grace.
Another lesson to be learned from this Scripture is that any godly man or woman can fall into grave sin. We might think that there is no way that we would or could ever do what David did, and he probably thought the same thing a short while before this all unfolded. David, and others who have similarly fallen, don’t do it overnight, but one step at a time. David didn’t go from godliness to murder in one day. He warmed up to it over time. One bad decision led to another. That second glance led to a lustful stare. Then adultery, then attempts to cover it up, then ultimately murder. We are either moving towards Jesus or towards trouble. Big problems don’t develop overnight. They break upon us gradually, one step at a time.
In closing, let’s remember that sin has consequences, but God’s grace is sufficient for those who truly repent.
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